BACKUP NOW YOUR DATA! "THIS IS HOW TO SAVE IMPORTANT DATA"

Data Backup: A simple guide to data protection

 

Simply the thought of permanent data loss, or it getting in the wrong hands can bring shivers down anyone's spine. Any data valuable enough to be needed in the future deserves to safely be backed up. But first, what does the term “data backup” actually mean?

 

Data backup is essential because data loss is very common. There can be dozens of reasons for data loss, such as ransomware attacks, hard drive failures, theft, human error, natural disaster, etc. This guide will help you backup your data in the most reliable, yet simple ways.

According to Cybercrime Magazine, a business was attacked by ransomware every 14 seconds in 2019. Ransomware is not just limited to businesses. I personally have seen friends helplessly asking me to recover their files after their computer was hit by a ransomware attack. People who for whatever reason cannot pay to get their files decrypted, unfortunately end up as by-catch for the attacker, and have to wait for its decryptor to be released, if it ever gets released. Most of these ransomware attacks use strong AES-256 encryption, which is both a blessing, and a curse. Depends on who is using it. Data loss due to other reasons such as theft or hardware failure are equally staggering.

 

Which data to back up?

Any important data should be backed up, including but not limited to Address books, pictures, videos, music, E-mails, documents, etc.

 

Where to back it up?

Services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and pCloud, have excellent storage replication, which means your file is stored on multiple servers in different locations instead of having one single point of failure. Going with any one of these would suffice.

 

Is it safe?

Unencrypted? No. With the increase in the number of data breaches recently, I cannot sleep well knowing my data is backed up, unencrypted, in some distant data-centers, about which I have zero knowledge about. Encrypting your data before backing it up is essential. I don't recommend using zero knowledge encryption services such as MEGA, as they take up too much of your system's resources while uploading and downloading files, which make the process a lot more tedious if file sizes are huge, especially on old hardware.

 

Encrypting your data, yourself

1: Install 7zip.

2: If you’re on Windows 11, right click on the file or folder you want to encrypt, and click on “Show more options”, then “7-zip”, and then click on “add to archive…”. On Windows 10, you don’t need to click on “Show more options”, as they will already be displayed.

 

3: Generate a 127-character secure password using a reputable password manager, such as LastPass, Dashlane, Bitwarden, 1Password, RoboForm, etc. Make sure to include letters, numbers, and symbols, and save the password in your password manager. Now copy it, and paste it under “Encryption” in the 7-zip window, and click on “Encrypt file names” as well. This will make your files completely inaccessible to anyone without the password. Click on “OK” to archive your files securely for backup.

4: You can now back up your file or folder on Google Drive, or any other cloud storage service without having to worry about anything. In the worst-case scenario of a data breach on the cloud storage you’re using, your files will only be a liability for the attacker. Since they cannot decrypt it, it would only be a waste of storage space on their computer.

 

Note:

-       Make sure to enable 2FA on your password manager for extra security.

-       DON’T save your password in an unencrypted form, such as “Notes” app, Notepad, MS Word document, etc. Password managers offer zero-knowledge encryption, and thus are a reliable way to save all your passwords on the cloud.

-       Local backups on your computer, USBs, external hard drives can also be encrypted using the method above. Devices and gadgets can easily be stolen, hacked, or lost, and nobody wants their personal, unencrypted data to end up in the wrong hands.